James: No sunlight, outdoor rec or even fresh air

My name is James. I am 36 years old. I was released on [2017] from doing 26 months for a domestic violence case. … fast forward a few weeks. I got a job working 1st shift with a good company in Kenosha marking $12/hour. In a matter of 8 days an opportunity presented itself where I became a supervisor with 13 employees under me and a pay raise to $16/hr. The position was during the day so I had to reschedule my appointments with my parole agent a few times. My agent was understanding…Fast forward a few weeks…My agent transferred to Racine and I was given a new agent. I was then forced to move from the place I was staying, and since I didn’t have my new agent’s number, I left a message with my old parole agent [to notify of new address].

Warrant issued

A day or two later my new parole agent contact me and told me she was not happy about the changing addresses without letting her know. She wanted me to come in at 1 p.m. the next day and was putting out a warrant for my arrest until I came in. I told her that I was still on my probation period at the job. I told her this was the best job I ever had and all I wanted to do was come in and see her without losing my job. She wouldn’t budge and told me that when I came in it was more than likely I would be going into custody. This happened a few days before Thanksgiving. I had not been around for the holidays for 6 years and decided I would take care of the warrant after spending the holidays with my children. …

I was staying with an old friend for a couple nights. On the second morning, I was woken by my friend. He told me the police had the house surrounded. I was arrested and charged with burglary (my buddy had what ended up being a stolen trailer behind his house).

No access to prescribed medication

I was brought to MSDF on Dec. 20. I was arrested with all my psychiatric medicine on me, however when I told the psychologist about it at intake, he told me all he could do was tell the psychiatrist to make an appointment. It took 45 days to be seen by the psychiatrist despite the many requests I put in begging for my medication. After I was finally seen I was denied my medication for security reasons, even though medication is passed at controlled times by a certified nurse and a CO to stand guard. To this day I am not receiving my prescribed medication despite my many complaints.

Treated like maximum security inmates

I am being housed in a cell that is smaller than my segregation cell at Fox Lake. Not only is it smaller but I’m forced to be in here with another individual. Not only that but at least every other week we get a third person on a boat [plastic sled bed] for a few days. We are locked in the cell for 19.55 on the days we have long dayroom and on the other days we are locked in for 20 hours. This is inhumane especially when you look at our max security prisons, where people get more freedom…

I was released from a medium. Why do I have less freedom than max security inmates?

No sunlight or fresh air

Another cruel and unusual form of punishment I am forced to endure while being held hostage at MSDF is I have no access to sunlight or outdoor rec nor even fresh air! I can only speak from my personal experience, but even being in segregation at Fox Lake, the most severely punished inmates had access to the outdoors every other day. So again I wonder why I suffer a worse existence? I am going to end my letter here due to my extreme anger an frustration from writing this letter. I must maintain my composure for those who need me most.

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#CLOSEmsdf will shut down the Milwaukee Secure Detention Facility. MSDF is a special kind of dungeon. Built to accommodate Milwaukee’s extraordinary incarceration rate and aggressive, racist probation and parole system, MSDF holds people on crimeless revocations in excruciating conditions. Captives held in MSDF get no sunlight, no fresh air, no rehabilitative programming. They are held 3 to a cell for 23 hours a day. Thousands have been tortured there, hundreds made sick, and eighteen have died.

We must close this facility, and end the practice of crimeless revocations which fills it.

In Memory

Since the Milwaukee Secure Detention Facility (MSDF) opened in 2001, seventeen people have died inside its walls and cells: